If you’re a homeowner, there’s a good chance that you’ve wondered whether or not to lubricate the garage door cables. Here’s the answer: yes! You should lubricate your garage door cables once every couple of years or so. But before we get into all of the details about why and how often you should do this, let’s talk about what exactly it means to lubricate your garage door.

Do you need to lubricate your garage door cables?
[If you have an older garage door]
- It’s time to look at your cable. If it is more than 10 years old and the weather stripping around the bottom of your door needs to be replaced, then you should lubricate them. If not, wait until next year when we’ll be talking about this again! [This is a good reminder that if you don’t know if your cables need lubing, go ahead and do it anyway.]
[If you have a newer garage door]
- You may not need to lubricate your cables at all. This can depend on several factors: how often you use your garage; whether or not there is any rust on the metal parts of your door (rust can cause friction between moving parts); and whether or not any other repairs need done on other moving parts of the system (such as hinges).
Which parts do you lubricate on a garage door?
The parts of a garage door that need to be lubricated are the cables, the rollers, springs and bearings. These are all internal components of your garage door.

To make sure you do not over lube any part of your garage door, only use a light coating of oil on each component once every 6 months. The following steps will help you to clean and lubricate a garage door:
What type of lubricant should you use?
It’s important to select a lubricant that is safe for metal. It also needs to be easy to apply, so you don’t have to worry about getting it on your hands or clothes. You’ll also want something that has no toxic chemicals in it, because you may be applying this lube close enough to the garage door itself where small mistakes could lead to serious injury.
The best way of ensuring all these requirements are met is by using WD-40® Multi-Use Product , which meets all three criteria we outlined above: it’s non-toxic, easy to use and widely available at most hardware stores and online retailers such as Amazon .
Warning signs that you need to lubricate your garage door.
If you notice that the garage door is making a lot of noise when it opens or closes, there is a lot of friction between the cables and pulleys, there are signs of rust on the cables or pulleys, or if your garage door is not opening or closing properly then you should lubricate the cables.
Step-by-step guide to lubricating garage door cables.
Here’s how to go about lubricating garage door cables:
- Remove the cables from the roller assembly. You can do this by removing the screws that hold it in place, then sliding out the cable and roller together.
- Clean off any dirt or grime on both sides of each cable with an old rag or toothbrush. If there’s rust on your cables, you’ll want to remove it before lubricating them so that you don’t get grease on them—or else they may rust again later! Use a wire brush if necessary, then wipe down all surfaces with a damp cloth until they’re clean and dry.
- Apply silicone spray lubricant (the kind used for bicycles) liberally along both sides of each cable in order to coat all moving parts inside it; make sure not to use too much or else excess will come out when rolling your door back up after installation is complete! Hold onto one end while turning up tension gradually until reaching full extension between ends…your goal here is not necessarily maximum tension but rather even distribution throughout length so as not get uneven wear patterns over time due/excessive wear at certain points due lack thereof elsewhere due/etcetera etcetera ad infinitum – repeat ad nauseam until completion – I mean seriously guys what were we talking about again?
You should avoid lubing the garage door cables as they might be damaged, but if they are not damaged, you can do this yourself following the step by step guide
Before you lubricate your garage door cables, make sure that they are not damaged. If the cable is broken or frayed, then it should be replaced by a professional before you apply any lubricant to it.
If your garage door has been working fine for a long time and there’s no sign of damage on the cables, then you can try to do this job yourself following our step by step guide below:
Conclusion
If you want to keep your garage door in perfect condition, lubricating the cables is an important step. It will help you extend their life and avoid future problems. However, if your cables are already damaged, it is better not to lubricate them because this might make them even weaker than before. If you’re unsure of what type of lubricant to use, we recommend getting professional advice from a local garage door technician who can advise on which products work best under different circumstances.